Posted by Donnie Morissette on Thursday, January 28, 2016,
In :
Products

TRESemmé recently launched the first mass-market reverse wash & care range, Beauty-Full Volume, meaning that this approach is soon to be a topic of heated discussion. Like co-washing and no-poo approaches, reverse care joins a movement of new ideas that aim to revolutionise our haircare routines from the ground up.

Despite this claiming to be the "first" range, this isn't a new idea. Speaking to Refinery 29last year, Nina Dimachki,artistic director for Kérastase, advocated this method for a... Continue reading ...

One of my aims with both hairdressing and writing this blog has always been to simplify dealing with hair to its end user (that's you, by the way). So when I came across these infographics I was delighted to see how starightforward they make approaching products, which can be confusing at the best of times and downright overwhelming at the worst.

Unfortunately, the X-Y graph*, which looks at product choice, is aimed at men; and the product usage guide** is aimed at women. I might actually deve...

Posted by Donnie Morissette on Tuesday, April 14, 2015,
In :
Red Carpet

This years MTV Movie Awards red carpet was a plethora of eclectic style that did not disappoint. Here's a rundown of my favourite moments...

Hailee Steinfeld and Maia Mitchell keep it simple

There once was a time when the slightest sniff of an awards invite would have celebs heating up their curling tongs and reaching for the extra-hold lacquer. But the 2010s have lightly ushered in a return to simplicity, and these ladies embody that simplicity perfectly.

This week a study was published by the University of Southern California that prompted the tabloids to claim that plucking hair from sparse, balding heads could promote regrowth from dormant follicles. "At last, a cure for baldness!" the Daily Mail cried, amidst a myriad of other sources. But these claims in the headlines are unsubstantiated, says the NHS. Here's how it all breaks down...

The study was carried out on mice, not humans. Scientists carried out a 'plucking' procedure on various si... Continue reading ...

You buy an at-home hair dye, apply it, watch the TV for a bit as it develops, before staining your bath, applying the complimentary after-conditioner for a few minutes and then rinsing. You eagerly dry it off, run your irons over your locks and then stroke your hair in wonder at the silky smooth feeling it's left.

Since I began blogging, the topics I've chosen to cover have a tendency to follow my somewhat liberal principles. It's still to do with hair, (this being the very nature of my blog), but I like to explore ideas like avant garde style and grassroots inspiration and if topical issues do arise, suffice to say I'm not afraid to show opinions and, (perhaps on occasion), bias. With that in mind, my blog turns two years old today, and although I do have a couple of pieces of research on the back bur...

Ask a panel of hair product addicts what salt spray they use to achieve beachy waves and at least one (if not most) will say Bumble and bumble, whose Surf Spray is a cult wonder-product that has inspired imitations since its launch in 2001. A shampoo and conditioner came into the fray over a decade later but Bb didn't stop there...

The surf spray itself lends a just-from-the-sea, dried-on-the-sand quality to the hair, which gives it a kind of crunchy, tangly feeling. Not by any means, does it ...

I recently collaborated on a couple of shoots promoting up-and-coming brand Voltage Noir. I generally did some minimal hair housekeeping and some makeup as well as lending some expertise from photoshoot experience, but it was a pleasure to work alongside some amazing fresh talent. Have a look at the images below and find out more about Voltage Noir after the jump.

In the past week celebrities have decided to literally buck the trends we've all grown accustomed to achieving for the past decade. In short; long hair is out.

As a hairstylist, the number of times I've had a client or model whose hair needed to be coiffed into big, bouncy, shiny waves is practically uncountable. It got to a point in many a stylist's head that this was just accepted as the norm. Kim Kardashian and Cheryl Cole-Tweedy-Fernandez-Versini-Jones-Bloggs [sic] were die-hard reference... Continue reading ...

Posted by Donnie Morissette on Tuesday, February 10, 2015,
In :
Red Carpet

Compiling this one really took it out of me! There was no shortage of notable 'dos at this years Grammys. Join me on the red carpet for the highs, the lows and the plain bizarre.

Everybody's talking about... Iggy Azalea's statement braids

As a hairstylist, I can assure you that this takes some skill and patience. I love it! It has certainly garnered the most attention of the Grammys hair parade. (Well, almost. There's one ostentatious duo that certainly took the poll position, which you'll see ...

Posted by Donnie Morissette on Monday, February 9, 2015,
In :
Red Carpet

Despite the rather more conspicuous Grammys happening across the pond, this years BAFTA Awards remained a glitzy and star-studded event. Here's a run-down of the hair trends we saw on the red carpet...

The outcome as predicted - side-swept glamour!

If you missed my red carpet season predictions (see it here), easily the most obvious trend for the season across the couture runways and the red carpet is an easy asymmetry, achieved by pushing back thew hair on one side:

Posted by Donnie Morissette on Friday, February 6, 2015,
In :
Red Carpet

Awards season is upon us (okay, I missed the Golden Globes ...oops... moving on). For the first time this year, I've decided to have a crack at making some red carpet hair predictions. Ahead of the BAFTAs and Grammys on Sunday, the couture runways have barely cooled down and celebs are tracking down their frocks as we speak. But will their hair go hand in hand with their gowns? Here are the most likely things to appear at the ceremonies...

Posted by Donnie Morissette on Tuesday, February 3, 2015,
In :
Products

Bumble and bumble are extending their blow dry portfolio with two new products that continue from their Straight Blow Dry product: All-Style and Repair balms.

Straight Blow Dry is something of a misleading name. It works alongside it's own Straight Shampoo and Conditioner, but all three are more about smoothing than straightening - the reason they carry the 'straight' title is because they make the job ten times easier for those who do straighten their curly, kinky or frizz-prone hair.

I only really do a few of these each season. It's kind of spurred by that excitement in the February/September issues of seeing sparkling new campaigns, and I'll see some hairstyle that peaks my interest. Last season it was Lindsey Wixson's auburn crop. This season, it's a freshman HITC appearance for Marc Cain.

Cain is a name I've seen around in the monthlies and certainly has international appeal, but shows in Berlin rather than one of the four fashion capitals and doesn't get written up by ...

Every now and then a friend will inbox me asking a question about haircare, and usually it's a question that will be quite common. This is the first time I've posted a Q&A here on the blog but will continue to do so from now on when a question comes through that I find relevant and useful.

Q: If I were to dye my hair blonde, how long should I wait before I go into a swimming pool? I don't want it to go green!
This is a question with several implications, so let's break it down.
Firstly, the...Continue reading ...

Posted by Donnie Morissette on Thursday, October 16, 2014,
In :
Products

This idea came to me recently when I got my hair clippered and noticed my scalp felt excessively flaky and oily. Being an infrequent washer (once a week) for a while now, my scalp doesn't produce oils or shed dead skin cells very rapidly, but if it does decide to go a little haywire, it's not like I notice immediately, because I'm just waiting for my next wash day.

So I thought that, for occasions like this, an exfoliant would be a good idea to just give it that extra cleanse when needed. I kn... Continue reading ...

An article published by the Daily Telegraph this week highlighted a European Commission report that potentially aims to cap the power that hairdryers can utilise.

Findings by environmental research body Oeko-Institut studied 46 hairdryer models and found that the power can range from 960W to 2100W (an average of 1,937W). When calculated against an average use time of 12 minutes, this concluded an estimated energy consumption of 78 kWh in a year. To put that into perspective, it's the equivalen... Continue reading ...

Posted by Donnie Morissette on Wednesday, August 27, 2014,
In :
Red Carpet

The glitz, the glamour... this years Emmys red carpet was a wonderfully sparkling affair with wonderful, well-coiffed hair!

Here's my top 10 favourites, (in no particular order).

Kelly Osbourne's mohawk

This girl seriously knows how to give us variety. Over the past few times I've blogged her red carpet looks, the only thing that seems to stay constant is that signature lilac hue. This time she flaunted a freshly-shorn mohawk and the fairly recent 'stories' tattoo. This was fabulously femmed-up ...

Posted by Donnie Morissette on Tuesday, August 26, 2014,
In :
Red Carpet

I'm just going to come out and say this up front: the red carpet for this years VMAs was predominantly a parade for predictable and unimaginative hairstyles. There was way too much of the 'loose-curls-stroke-glamorous-undone-wave'. Usually music industry awards shows tend to bring the fun, but I was left a little unenthused. So much so that I'm going to do one of my quick 'Top 5' edits for this show and save the deep discussion for the much-more interesting Emmys.

I have long been telling my clients that they should cut down on shampooing. I wash my hair once a week, and I think twice, maybe three times is the most anybody should be doing it. And I'm not the only one. Two news articles were emailed to me on the same day last week - one concerning a well-established industry professional, the other a beauty blogger, both of whom advocate not only cutting down on shampoo, but stopping use altogether.

News came through this week of three human trial subjects suffering alopecia areata who grew back a full head of hair within five months. It has certainly flared up a lot of excitement, and these three people are reportedly very happy with the results. But how has this happened, and does it mean that we could kiss goodbye to baldness for good?

Believe me when I say the investigation into this one has been a real challenge. Biochemistry doesn't come naturally to most people, myself included, so... Continue reading ...

Every couple of years, something comes on to the hairdressing scene and just doesn't go away. A few years back it was the Brazilian Keratin Treatment, sometimes referred to as the semi-permanent blow-dry. Then we had ombré, which somehow mutated into several forms that claim to be different, including dip-dye, balayage and flamboyage.

And the lastest one comes, once again, from Brazil, although it'll take more than intrigue to book yourself an appointment. Called velaterapia (literally 'candl... Continue reading ...

Well, I must admit I've never heard of Bimba y Lola until this season. So really, this is mostly about the visual...

Okay, so it's pretty much completely about the visual. I had to include this in my HITC series this season because there is a whole lotta hair going on there! This pelo largo, along with the makeup, came from the talented hands of successful Spanish stylist Pablo Iglesias.

If it seems a little weird and creepy, that's because this season's offerings from the brand are based on a ...

Ever wondered if you could permanently change your hair colour with just the sweep of a flat iron? Well, probably not, but new researched published this week by Prof. Zeyd Leseman et al. at the University of New Mexico suggests that one day you may be able to do just that.

The paper, entitled 'Nano-Patterning of Diffraction Gratings on Human Hair for Cosmetic Purposes', is the result of experimentation with Focused-Ion Beam (FIB) technology to etch the hair surface into a diffraction grating, ... Continue reading ...

Okay, you don't have to do it RIGHT this minute, but you're already here, right? So you might as well.

These videos and articles range from funny to useful to simply quite interesting - but mostly funny. We all love a good BuzzFeed list, and if you're here on the HedRock blog, my guess is you love hair, too. So here's the definitive top 10 BuzzFeed hair lists, (in no particular order).

I've been both itching and hesitant to post this all at the same time. One one hand, I have absolutely no idea who did this hair or the story behind it. On the other hand, it speaks for itself so much that the story can wait - for now.

August's cover star for British Vogue is the one and only Victoria Beckham, in an shoot encompassing an unusually less-than-pristine setting for the lady, messing around in a garden and looking more laidback and playful that we're used to. But it works.

Last week, hairstylist Tina Outen spoke to Vogue.co.uk about her behind-the-scenes experience with Victoria, working with a crème de la crème creative team comprising of Vogue Fashion Director, Lucinda Chambers; powerhouse international makeu...

The theme at Valentino for this show was Pre-Raphelite. The mood was one of pared-back and effortless elegance, with a kind of virginal purity. Despite the billowing fabrics, draping and gladiator flats the girls still looked slender and statuesque. The natural colour palette circulated around whites and greens with the odd print or motif. All in all, it could be summed up as 'divinely pretty'.

Guido Palau for Redken made yet another appearance, this time creating a very classic but laid-back ...

Armani took a step away from the comfort of his usual grey-anchored palette to a much bolder black, white and red for this show. However, this bright colour infusion was strict, completely untainted by anything else from the spectrum, allowing him to focus on his strengths in craftsmanship. But there was a difference here, too - rather than the clean, sophisticated and grown-up aesthetic we're used to, Armani instead took a more youthful approach, playing with a melange of silhouettes and tex...

The first thing guests attending the Chanel show noticed was its minimalist environment. Karl Lagerfeld usually has a spectacularly extravangant thematic set that is an extension of the collection's aesthetic. This time, however, a fireplace and large gilded mirror were the only adornments to an otherwise bright, airy space in which his collection could speak for itself. And volumes it spoke. 1930s and Baroque influences coupled with a palette of fiery and ash tones (save the odd pop of blue)...

I haven't bought a non-professional hair product in years, but since I'm not currently under employment I can't really spend on salon price tags. However, I did need a new hair product recently, having spent most of the past year using whatever was to hand in the salon and not actually using anything at home. So I decided now was the time to budget shop, get over my snobbery (at least for now) and buy off the high street.

This week a creative team shook the fashion world a little. Iconic model Gisele Bündchen appeared in the next-season Balenciaga campaign with an apparently shaved head. In fact, if you Google the topic and there are still news stories reporting that she has indeed been scalped, (even though she has since posted pictures to her Instagram with her locks intact).

Here's the campaign in question:

Artistic Director for Balenciaga Alexander Wang explained to Style.com that the haircut was created on...

In a show that really exemplifies Raf Simon's coming of age at Dior, a myriad of references were sewn together as seamlessly as the pieces they defined. The overall feeling was one of lightness; voluminous gowns and plenty of pale colours and delicate florals, shown in a circular, futuristic white space adorned with masses of white orchids. The occasional dark wool or exquisitely structured jacket kept everything grounded. It was immaculate.

Versace kicked off this seasons couture with a remarkable show that was as bold as it was plush. Allegedly there was a 50's influence to it, but it was the bondage-meets-extravagance of the gowns shown above that hit me the most. All this set against a runway of purple fur with gold trim and J-Lo in the FROW made for something incredibly in-your-face cool.

Hair was provided by the masterful Guido Palau for Redken. Speaking about the look, he called it "very un-Donatella", but that of a "strong...

I recently became unemployed. I did what no professional
should do and walked out in a temper, quitting on the spot and handing in no
formal notice. It’s an additional faux pas to do this in an economic climate
where unemployment is high and in an industry that’s turning out more skilled
professionals than there are jobs available.

I’m a big believer, though, in doing something that means
something, rather than doing it for the sake of it. I think that trying to be
good at something yo...

The 90s revival is showing no signs of slowing down this year, and this was highly evident at Marques'Almeida where an opening theme of frayed denim was carried through onto other more luxe fabrics then teamed with primary block colours and furs, plus one intriguing silhouette was that of the dress-skirt over matching trousers. This was carried with a mood that had the ease of grunge but crossed with a seemingly nightwear-influenced theme. No, not cami's and slips, but dressing...

Ah, is there any red carpet more glamorous than the Oscars? I mean sure, it was saturated with rainwater and Jennifer Lawrence fell over (again), but it's almost guaranteed to be dripping with diamonds and satin, hair up in classy buns and more A-listers than you can shake your proverbial at. This red carpet was a real mixed bag of hits and misses, but for the most part our leading ladies looked fantastic. Let's see how it all went down...

Posted by Simon Pinder on Thursday, February 20, 2014,
In :
Red Carpet

The BRITS isn't a formal occasion, it's a party. As I said for the Grammy's red carpet, musicians are ostentatious creatures, and like to make an impression, as such, the BRIT Awards red carpet was full of a fair few yeas and nays. However, as it's Fashion Week and I'm swamped with runway stuff to do, and had the BAFTAs the other day and the Oscars next week, I'm just going to keep this one short and go with the best five.

Christopher Bailey, newly-appointed CEO at Burberry, presented a very loosened-up brand aesthetic inspired by the Bloomsbury group, an early 20th Century collective of writers, artists and philosophers. The collection had a fairly nomadic feeling in spite of it's very British influence, with combinations of lace slip dresses and thick woolen wraps and shawls, (including the finale worn by Cara Delevigne, personalised with her own monogram). The bags and shoes were also bespoke...

I'm already up to my neck in Fashion Week and awards season, and I already buy every fashion magazine every month, so blogging and reading takes up a lot of my spare time, (not forgetting I also manage a salon full time). And yet, every week without fail, I find myself dashing around Birmingham mid-commute looking for a Stylist distributor, wondering if Evie, Sam and Anita (their beauty department) have explored the world of hair this week. One of the regular beauty features of ... Continue reading ...

Alice Temperley showed a feminine but somewhat tough collection, integrating florals and a pretty and light colour palette with structured pieces and heavier textiles, including some micro-quilted gowns, (which is actually rather practical for winter). The good dose of black and net-effect mesh also gave things a slightly gothic twist. The quirky powerful-yet-feminine attitude inspired Moroccanoil's Malcolm Edwards to create a hairstyle based on rich, bohemian girls. He put te...

It's red carpet time again! This week we're on our own turf, with the BAFTAs and Brits within days of each other! Here's the 10 best looks from last night.

Michelle Rodriguez

A lovely beachy wave, but does it really go with that Emilio de la Morena dress? Not really... her hair says 'laid back' but that leatherette bodice is anything but. Of the two, I prefer the dress, so a little more polished on the hair would have been better!

TONI&GUY® Hair Meet Wardrobe™, the backstage fashion-specialised venture of the hairdressing giant, has announced a partnership with Marchesa as it celebrates 10 years of glamorous evening wear and gowns.

Working together for the first time at New York Fashion Week for AW14, a team headed up by Hair Meet Wardrobe™ Global Ambassador Mark Hampton created two looks for the show - a diffused bun and a slick scalp-braid with poker straight lengths.

Day one of London Fashion Week turned out all kinds of hairstyles, and my first comes from Bora Aksu. Aksu's show was influenced by the simpler, quieter side of Turkish life in a somewhat summery collection for an autumn/winter season. The colour palette - white, powdery blues and yellows, navy and hot pink - was a reflection of sandy beaches, fishing boats and sun-faded facades, on a mixture of crocheted hand-woven fabrics interspersed with light, sheer touches. A slight stern-ness ...

I was originally going to cover the entirety of the last day of NYFW, but the hair wasn't that exciting, and the excitement for the Marc Jacobs show kind of eclisped everything else that happened, (a feeling I'm sure wasn't exclusive to me).

It has now been 6 months since Jacobs showed his collection for this line on the bombed-out beach. 6 months since his final collection for his diffusion line, Marc by Marc Jacobs. And, of course, 6 months since his final bow at Louis Vuitton after sixteen ... Continue reading ...

If there was ever a line of workwear disigned for the more bohemian of tasted, this is it. Lepore presented wool, fur and floaty lace, accented here and there with bright plaid prints and beading, all in an array of greys, burgundys, pinks and purples. Separates and more tailored pieces were integrated with flaty dresses and lighter fabrics by adding shape with strong belts. The two hair looks, created by James Pecis for Alterna, were a reflection of this class-meets-relaxed app...

This is an important season for Marc Jacobs. He presented his last show at Louis Vuitton last season, and this MBMJ (as it will henceforth be known) was the first to be designed by British duo Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier, overseen by Jacobs himself from the FROW. This leaves him only his main 'Marc Jacobs' line as sole creative director, and all of his energy, talent and love will be put into it (watch this space). This was a fascinating and bold collection, alternatin...

In a somewhat daring - and rather wide-reaching - collection for Hererra, the pivotal point seemed to be a play on geometrics. Her fine elegance was in there, too, but tweaked to a bolder note. The influences seemed to hearken at the European/Asian border, with a seemingly Ancient Egyptian colour/print inspiration and the odd Turkish-fez-type hats. (When I say "odd" I mean it both in the senses of 'sporadic' and 'unusual'). Mostly, though, the collection played with forms and ...

Thakoon's collection was influenced by the South American region of Patagonia, which makes sense for an autumn/winter collection, as it allowed the designer to freely play with layering - and not without some interesting results, including a lot of outerwear and a good array of turtleneck cape-cum-sweaters. The colour palette was bright and appealing, alternating royal blue and fuchsia with fiery oranges and yellows and the odd bit of racing green. The hair was an unusual choice of dua...

I can barely contain my excitement. Don't get me wrong, despite wanting to hold a grudge against Mr Wang for stepping into the too-warm shoes of Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga, I loved his laser-cut eponymous motifs last season, but with all the achromatics he's been throwing about for the last year, this collection in itself was magnificently refreshing. Bold colours, a futuristic feel and statement piece after statement piece - a collection that will most likely make a magaz...

The mood at Jason Wu was serious. Strict, fitted tailoring, high collars and a steely, demure palette; all features that could have had a very androgynous effect were it not for the exquisite femininity it was presented with. Delicate fabrics like sheer lace and reflective satin were offset against the occasional pop of tough leather. The hair, too, carried this approach - structured quiffs at the front flowing seamlessly into carefree, head-hugging, pin-up texture at the back. The ef...

I promised I'd be back into blogging full-swing for Fashion Weeks, and owing to the fact that I haven't knocked out a real PDF Trend Report for about three seasons, I'm going to do one blog per day on this, showing the best looks from the best shows. I'm a couple of days behind at the moment and will play catch-up at some point, but for now, here's NYFW's debut shows from Thursday. Enjoy!

Nicholas K

Nicholas K's collection this year was direct, deliberate and made a statement. There was a disti...

Remember last year when Kate Moss exploded back into modelling? She walked in the AW13 Louis Vuitton show, did campaigns for Kérastase and St Tropez and then, as I blogged previously, modeled the incredible AW13 Versace campaign with brunette hair. Well, apparently Sarah Burton saw that campaign and though that Versace's "Vunk" wasn't quite punk enough for Kate. Brunette? That's not controversial. You know what's controversial?

To decide where I would start with this season's Hair In The Campaigns, I flicked through the opening pages of the new March issue of Elle UK, seeing what would catch my eye first. I skipped quite quickly past Louis Vuitton, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Dior; all lovely, but it was Mr Lagerfeld's keen eye for fresh, captivating imagery that stopped me dead in my tracks. All the other houses had nice, natural brunette-to blonde hues, but not Chanel. No, Chanel took the inequivocal face th... Continue reading ...

Posted by Simon Pinder on Wednesday, January 29, 2014,
In :
Red Carpet

I do love
awards season. I love awards season so much that in order to blog about it
properly, I finally bought a new computer. It’s something I’m going to regret
later in the month when I’m hungry, but at least I’ll have written ‘til my
heart’s content about fabulous things - like celebrities clad in couture and
coiffed to within an inch of their lives... it’s what I love.

And the
Grammys is one of the best, too. Whereas the film awards ceremonies have a
refined-ness to them (mo...

Many things struggle to be iconic in the fast and competitive world of fashion, so it takes a lot of force to make a real impact. Say, the kind of force that comes with taking the creative director from Rochas, putting him at the helm of a house bearing the name of one of the most influential designers that ever lived, and presenting the comeback collection after 60 dormant years at Paris Haute Couture. No mean feat.

And when you're on a knife edge like that, you have to pull out all the stops... Continue reading ...

Anyone who has come across me professionally will know that I'm an absolute hair product junkie. The problem is, the more of a junkie you become, the harder it is for the addiction to satisfy you. Put in plain English, my expectations are high when it comes to finding a particular product that really wows me to the point of saying "this is the best thing EVAAARR!"

Sometimes, though, even the concept is enough to get my blood pumping. Here are four products that I've never held but for various ... Continue reading ...

The Golden Globes was certainly an eventful occasion this year - the red carpet got waterlogged, Emma Thompson strolled onstage with a Martini in one hand and her Louboutins in the other, and Diane Keaton received an award for Woody Allen... as Woody Allen.

I'm going to run down my top ten now, but before I do, a couple of girls who didn't make the shortlist: Jennifer Lawrence, because she looked stunning top-to-toe but her hair was news three months ago; and Sandra Bullock, whom I love but lo... Continue reading ...

This post isn't really about a single topic, but every now and then an issue of Stylist will be very hair-focused and this week's is one of those. There's a fabulous feature on redheads (famous ones, no less) and a Trend On Trial using the wet look seen on Prada's AW13 runway, (look out for the Hair In The Campaigns blog on that later this week).

So I decided to fuse the two and kill a few birds with one stone, by trying out the wet look on my own (unintentionally*) copper locks, then I'll twe...

Posted by Simon Pinder on Tuesday, September 24, 2013,
In :
Red Carpet

As it's been an age since I did a red carpet blog, I'm quickly going to post my top 5 moments, which in itself on this tablet has taken a couple of days to compile. Still, it's worth it...

Zooey Deschanel's Voluminous Blow dry

The full fringe is back following my last red carpet analysis of Zooey at the Met Gala in May. But this time she's got a look that I've been giving a lot of clients lately; gorgeous shiny, tumbling waves.

To get this look, use a non-tacky mousse or root-boosting foam and d...

This is a bittersweet one for me - the first Balenciaga collection following Nicolas Ghesquière's departure and replacement with Alexander Wang. I adored Ghesquière's vision, his exquisite eye for style always excited me, so I was a little dubious when Wang was named his successor. That said, the collection this season is immensely good. It settles somewhere in the region of austere and luxurious - almost matronly. And then, the campaign...

If you're wondering who Tom Ford is, you're probably a fairly recent inductee to the fashion world like myself. He hasn't shown on a runway for seven years, mostly due to his view of the whole show scene as a rat-race circus. The only thing forcing his work back under the spotlight is his own brand's magnitude, which kinda gives the impression that the rebellion thing works.

And rebellion this is, but in a different way to the habit of the season. Whereas other designers put out tartans, leath...

Here's a double feature. Louis Vuitton always closely match their print ads to their runway, and this season is no exception, but the have an additional campaign featuring Michelle Williams to sell a particular bag.

They almost seem to be giving the option of dual identity. On one hand, there's the boudoir runway look, sultry and shadowed, echoing the hotel hallway we first saw the collection gliding through back in February. This campaign features the same cropped black wigs that transformed ...

The second in my Hair in the Campaigns featurette (and last before my busy little head hits the pillow for today) comes from Lanvin, whose slogan accessories have become a staple feature in editorials showcasing the season's free-spirited, rebellious side. So this image comes as no surprise...

O hai afro!

The hair for Lanvin's print ads was styled by session legend Guido Palau, and I chose the above image to exemplify the series because of its amplified drama and equally amplified texture. I do...

I've held the opinion for a couple of years now that the perm is ready for a comeback, and considering the bad reputation it's gained with the aftertaste of the 80s (despite being one of the best decades there ever was for personal style), that's an opinion often met with uncertainty and a slight edge of disdain.

So I had to stop myself from squealing with glee when friend and collaborator Salleh Sparrow revealed her tightly-coiked mop top. Completely adore it! And that made her the very first... Continue reading ...

#YHLA is the new way to put you in the spotlight. If you have amazing hair - that being, hair that's well cared for, well groomed and makes heads turn - then you're deserving of recognition. Too many people leave their hair to do its own thing, neglect the right products, cover up with a hat and render the money they spend on having it done effectively wasted.

But if that sounds disparaging, that's not the idea. The idea is that you, the everyday person, will now contribute to showing everyone... Continue reading ...

Posted by Simon Pinder on Wednesday, September 11, 2013,
In :
Products

In the past week or so news in the US has been rife about the Centre for Environmental Health (CEH) research finding an outlawed ingredient in California present in 98 products including a large number of shampoos carried by major retailers - an alleged carcinogen called Cocamide DEA.

As an avid product enthusiast I've seen this ingredient listed on the back of shampoo bottles a lot in the past, and this is the first time I've ever seen any mention of it being potentially harmful, so I decided... Continue reading ...

Posted by Simon Pinder on Wednesday, September 4, 2013,
In :
Celebrity

Kim Kardashian stepped out last weekend with a new partner - a gorgeous high-contrast blonde ombré.

Ombré, balayage or dip-dye has been on trend - especially with celebrities - for a couple of years now. More and more of you are going into salons and asking for it in varying effects.

This particular look is incredibly executed, because her roots are very naturally dark and the ends very light, but despite the strong difference, the blend between the two is perfect and the hair is in immaculat...

A poll on Irish news website thejournal.ie is showing that only 17% of clients always tip their hairdresser, whereas 36% never do. The majority of the respondents - almost half at 46% - answered 'sometimes'.

But thanks to the website's strong angle on user interaction, there is also no shortage of comments on the article giving valuable consumer insight into the reasons people decide whether or not to tip.A very common opinion is that hairdressers already earn at least minimum wage and that th...

You might have caught the widespread news reports in the last day or two about Venezuelan gangs who have actually been stealing women's hair in a series of personal attacks.

The purpose is to turn the locks into human hair extensions which are then sold on to hair salons. In Venezuela's socialist economy, gang activity is rife, particularly in Maracaibo near the Colombian border. In particular, smuggling is the crime most renowned - and not just for drugs but also basic staple foods such as ri... Continue reading ...

A few days ago a lovely lady Gemma came to me to get her hair put up for a black tie event. Now it's no secret that I love put-ups so I assured her she was in good hands. Gemma has a LOT of her own hair but brought in a clip-on hairpiece for an extra-polished finish, and these were the results:

However, a couple of days later Gemma revisited the salon while I was away because her hairpiece had become a bit tangled and frizzy and left it for me to revive, which I was more than happy to do. Hair... Continue reading ...

This could come as a surprise. To the untrained eye, this might be seen as a pixie cut, a simple short hairstyle - nothing special, really.

But it's not simple, it sensational. When I say HedRock is about boundless freedom of expression, it usually means 'take that extra step, go a bit nuts and do something "edgy" - whatever that word means - so that you stand out'. But it also means you should be wearing something that suits you and your personality to the dot, and THAT is why Bebe Black's ha... Continue reading ...

Remember when I said punk was making a comeback? Well, one of the
biggest fashion events on the annual calendar just RSVP'd the trend by
making it the theme for 2013. The biggest stars were in attendance and I
almost had a little heart attack over some of the sheer fabulousness of
the hair on display. Brace yourselves... things are about to get good.

I'm sorting this by punk's definitions, of which it has many. Remember, make it your own!

Stars lined up a good variety of looks on the red carpet at Sunday's MTV Movie Awards. Keep reading for the wearable, the wacky and the totally weird in my top 10 hair moments...

10. Holland Roden's super-simple perfection

I love this timeless look and it's so well-executed. Tucking the hair from the front hairline behind he ear and the rest down is extremely now. A great way to make what's seemingly nothing into a red carpet something.

The May editions of both Elle and Vogue feature editorials and accompanying retrospectives of the 70s movement and its influence on both fashion and social attitudes.

Guinevere van Seenus for Vogue (left) and Flo Dron for Elle (right)

Punk, like "the new black" and 60s beehives and miniskirts, frequently re-enters the fashion domain every few years before being declared dead again. Underground, it lives on, with many DIY punk bands ...

Rihanna rocked her urban street style during her LA day out yesterday.

Papped (above) applying her makeup at an LA Lakers game, she donned a hip-hop/metal mashup complete with dark lips and topped with a backward cap, her luxe tumbling waves loose beneath it. It was a particularly candid moment for RiRi as she enjoyed a courtside seat in a crowd that also included will.i.am.

But it was later that she showed every girl how it's done and transitioned effortlessly from day-to-night for an evening ...

One of these is for a colour makeover. I have ideas in mind so you'll need to have long hair and be willing to have a creative colour - hair modelling experience for this one is a plus! You'll need to be free for your makeover (no cost involved) and a photoshoot in the same week.

Other models needed over the next two weeks to pop into my salon and have their hair styled with ghd's. Again, longer hair is better, but this one I'll just be... Continue reading ...

The images of model Flo Dron in ELLE's May issue punk shoot made me smile.

That's not from the shoot in question, but it's exactly how her hair looks. Look how tiny that fringe is, and how much she rocks it!

The micro fringe is not a new thing. Not at all. Pin-up star Bettie Page rocked the short but sweet look with a rolled version in the 50s, and screen stars Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Tatou's characters Cleopatra and Amelie both had tiny bobs featuring just as tiny fringes.

David Sassoon painted a not-so-good-looking picture of his adoptive father Vidal in an interview with The Daily Mail yesterday.

Following a revelation last week that Vidal cut his son from his $150m will, a seemingly angered David - (pictured far left, next to Vidal) - spoke out against the iconic hairdresser, calling his childhood a "misery" and claiming that his father threatened to disown him if he refused surgery for weight reduction.

Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed she is going to launch a blow dry bar in Brentwood, California.

It will be a venture in partnership with personal trainer Tracy Anderson, whose fitness studio will house the salon, and hairstylist to the stars David Babaii, the latter being the name on the business.

Babaii, who also has a range of products that will be used in the salon, is a personal stylist to some of Hollywood's top names and has a myriad of magazines under his belt, too.

Dakota Fanning and Jenna Jameson are the latest to join the throng of celebrities sporting unconventional hair colours this year. They join Kerry Katona, Bella Cruise and a host of others rocking the trend.

Fanning was papped in New York City with freshly dip-dyed pick locks, a look she dabbled with back in January last year. Sheltered against the cold snap in layered casuals and knitwear, the Twilight star clearly enjoyed the look the first t... Continue reading ...

There's two things to consider when doing your hair to work with the season's fashion. One, what are designers telling you to wear? And two, what are the fashion week session stylists telling you to do with your hair? And make no mistake, following fashion and hair trends that fall in the same season will NOT be a guaranteed recipe for success. Make that your mantra.

So, how do you work it?

Well, there are some simple rules that will govern every occasion you match your hair to your outfit. We'... Continue reading ...

Kerry Katona tweeted this picture yesterday after dying her hair a pastel blue, asking her followers if they liked it, but before anybody could give much of a reply she was bouncing of the walls, saying she felt 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' and that she wanted to bounce on a trampoline before peeing her pants.

But Kerry wasn't the only girl feeling a cool hue. On the same day, Isabella Cruise (daughter of Tom and Nicole), tweeted her ...

At Sao Paulo Fashion Week, a runway look has lit a fire beneath Facebook and Twitter users who have branded it 'racist and embarrassing'.

The look, created by designer Ronaldo Fraga for his SS13 collection, utilised wire wool to portray a faux-Afro effect. However, Brazilian social media users deemed it offensive and in poor taste in a country that has long suffered with racial imbalances.

One user who commented on an online news article recalled his past of his hair being compared to wire wool...

It's one of the hottest runway trends of 2013. ELLEUK.COM declares it 'back'. But what is dual-texture hair and will it actually catch on?

For the most part, this look combines sleek or wet-effect roots with drier, more textured lengths. Session stylist Guido, who worked on the Victoria Beckham S/S13 show, contrasted shine by using dry shampoo to make the back more disheveled. Nick Irwin and the TIGI artistic team used gel and hairspray separately and secured the look with grips to emphasise t...

A new French TV ad for Dove Men+Care shampoo is currently the talking point of a few newsfeeds and blogs, and may be under investigation for being 'sexist'.

The advert depicts two chaps at the office, one of whom has suddenly and unwittingly adorned himself with long glossy locks. His co-worker asks if he has "done something with his hair" and quizzes him about what shampoo he is using, to which he presents a pink bottle of shampoo with a happy-looking woman on the front, (exactly why he's bro...